The Miami Hurricanes were competitive, but a few gray areas allowed the BYU Cougars to dominate the second half on the basketball court.
Kissimmee, FL - The Miami Hurricanes had another opportunity to earn national respect by facing the ninth-ranked BYU Cougars. After a difficult loss to the reigning champion Florida Gators on Sunday, Nov. 16th, this was a shot at redemption.
They would prepare to battle against another tremendous NBA talent in AJ Dybantsa. The 18-year-old is averaging 19.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 54.8 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three-point range on the season heading into today's game. He would have to be the main focus defensively.
The Cougars would also receive reinforcements as junior forward Kennard Davis Jr. was made available after missing the previous three games due issues outside of basketball. He's averaging nine points thus far this season before today's game.
As for the Hurricanes, both junior guard Tru Washington and senior center Ernest Udeh Jr. were game-time decisions and were cleared after missing Sunday's game against the Delaware State Hornets due to lower-body injuries.
The starting lineups:
Hurricanes: Tre Donaldson-Tru Washington-Shelton Henderson-Malik Reneau-Ernest Udeh Jr.
Cougars: Robert WrightIII-Richie Saunders-Kennard Davis Jr.-AJ Dybantsa-Keba Keita
It was time for tipoff and Hurricanes senior guard Tre Donaldson was the first to punch the scoreboard with a left-wing three-pointer. However, Cougars' senior guard Richie Saunders responded with a layup.
Both teams looked to establish their defense, but Cougars' senior center Keba Keita was making his presence known in the paint with a couple of scores. They then sparked an 8-0 run, in which it appeared that momentum was on their side.
However, the Hurricanes would not go away and kept responding, especially with an alley-oop dunk to Udeh Jr. from Donaldson over a couple of Cougars.
The game continued to go back and forth, but the Hurricanes remained ahead with a couple of scores from freshman forward Shelton Henderson and Udeh Jr. before the first half came to a close. The score was 33-29.
Dybantsa only had four points throughout the first 20 minutes of action. The Hurricanes' defense hadn't made it easy for him, constantly showing him bodies.
Similar to the matchup against the Gators, while the game was hosted in a neutral area, it was really close to a Cougars home game.
This time, they would strike first as the second half began, sparking a 23-8 run. The team's defense was translating to offense, giving the South Florida program a test of their own medicine.
The Hurricanes failed to get stops and went scoreless for nearly six full minutes. They were down by double figures quickly, which appeared to be a similar story to the Gators matchup: second-half dominance by the ranked opponent.
However, Washington scored on a layup, plus a foul on sophomore guard Robert Wright III. Despite missing the free throw, it could be the spark the Hurricanes have needed. The answer was on hold as Cougars' senior guard Dawson Baker landed awkwardly and was holding his knee, then needed to be helped off the court.
Donaldson then made a three-pointer to cut the lead to 10. It was one possession at a time for the Hurricanes, followed up by a floater by Handerson, plus a foul, but he missed another free throw. The lead was cut to single digits.
It didn't last long after a Davis right-wing three-pointer, beating the shot clock. However, freshman Dante Allen attacked the basket so the Hurricanes could still have some life, followed by a left corner three-pointer by the four-star recruit.
As the Hurricanes kept the fight going, Udeh Jr. was called for an intentional foul. For every punch thrown, the Cougars had a response, which allowed them to maintain the lead and secure the victory, with a final score of 72-62.
Keita was a force the Hurricanes failed to combat. He finished with six points, 10 rebounds, and seven blocks, which is a new career high, in 23 minutes.
Washington struggled the most in his first game back from injury, only scoring five points, along with four rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 25 minutes. He's proven to be an electrifying scorer, but it wasn't in it for him today.
Dybantsa finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a block in 31 minutes. Nothing came easy for the future NBA lottery prospect. He shot 35.7 percent from the field, his lowest of the season thus far.
No Hurricanes player scored 20 points. Reneau led the team with 14 points, nine rebounds, an assist, and a block in 28 minutes. They played great in the first half, but it didn't translate throughout the rest of the game.
The Hurricanes were also shaky from the free-throw line, only making seven out of 17 attempts. There's no denying the team's talents defensively, but until the offensive struggles are solved, it will hold them back and cost them wins.
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